


Never Know What You Have

by hoeziers



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:53:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21656320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeziers/pseuds/hoeziers
Summary: “I want to smoke too.”Richie looked to his right. Eddie, face pinched with annoyance, had seemed to materialize out of nowhere.“Jesus, Eds, you trying to give me a heart attack?!” Richie bellowed, dramatically clutching his chest and leaning into the smaller boy.___Or, Eddie tries weed and contemplates his relationship with one Richie Tozier.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 11
Kudos: 149





	Never Know What You Have

“I want to smoke too.”

Richie looked to his right. Eddie, face pinched with annoyance, had seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

“Jesus, Eds, you trying to give me a heart attack?!” Richie bellowed, dramatically clutching his chest and leaning into the smaller boy.

“Fuck, get off of me, and stop calling me that.” Eddie shoved Richie back, who then dramatically fell against Bev, who had been giggling this whole time.

“You want to smoke?” she asked, as Richie righted himself up.

“Yeah. You two have done it for years. So I want to try.”  
“Don’t you have assmar?”  
“Richie, fuck off, I swear.”  
“Hey! I’m trying to keep you safe! I don’t need you hacking up a lung because you wanted to be as cool as us.”  
“Fine! Forget I asked, asshole!”

Eddie was ready to storm off, but Bev took his hand in hers. He didn’t resist, letting her tug him in for a side hug.

“I have a brownie. It might be better for you than smoking, if Richie is so worried about you dying.”

Richie tried to protest but was unable to form words, his retort coming out sounding more like a series of squawks. Eddie snickered and nodded.

“That sounds good,” he agreed.

“Fine. But Stan is on babysitting duty,” Richie sniffed, crossing his arms. Eddie’s face immediately fell, and he attempted to whack Richie’s shoulder. 

“I’m not a baby, you dick!” Eddie yelled. Richie raised his hands to try to avoid Eddie’s attack.

“Dude! I meant that he’s gonna be the one who helps you if you get too high or something! It’s like, I dunno, a saying!”

Eddie dropped his hands, but kept a suspicious watch on Richie.

“Fine,” he says.  
“You’re welcome,” Bev replies, laughing. 

X

That evening, Eddie picked up Beverly and drove her over to Richie and Stan’s apartment.

“You good?” she asked, looking over at Eddie as she climbed into the passenger seat. Eddie looked over and nodded.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked. Bev smiled and buckled up.  
“You’re trying drugs for the first time,” she replies simply.  
“I mean, I’ve done drugs before! I got Percocets when I had my wisdom teeth surgery.”  
“Illegal drugs, Kaspbrak.”  
“Oh. Well, you’re right.”  
“And anyways, weed is so much better on a person than those hard pills. It’s natural. Your mom got you scared of the wrong stuff.”

Eddie glanced at Bev, careful not to take his eyes off the road for too long. Beverly was gazing out the window, one foot up on her seat. He’s half tempted to scold her, to warn her that if she sits like that and he gets into a wreck, she’d snap her leg like a twig and probably get a kneecap to the nose. He doesn’t, however, and instead focuses on driving.

“Guess I’ll find out tonight,” he said. 

“You will! It’s fun. You’ll feel nice. We’ll make sure you feel good,” Beverly replied. Eddie could feel his cheeks get a little warm. 

“Yeah, well. I was tired of you two keeping the fun to yourselves.”

“You could always come!” She looked over at Eddie, who was still staring at the road. He shrugged lightly.

“I didn’t want to intrude... But I have nothing to do this weekend, so I decided to intrude.”

Beverly snorted and looked back out the window. “We’re glad you did. Richie has been excited all day.”  
“Really?”

The intensity of his voice caused Beverly to look back at him, and he was staring at her. His mouth hung open slightly, and his eyes were wide. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and looked back at the road. Beverly grinned.

“Oh yeah. He said he had to stock up to make sure you have a good time. He wants you to enjoy yourself.”

Eddie shifted awkwardly, and he knew his cheeks were red now. Thankfully, Richie and Stan’s apartment building was coming up, so he busied himself with turning into the parking lot and finding a space.

He parked the car and Beverly got out. She went to the backseat and grabbed her backpack. She slid it onto one shoulder and looked over at Eddie. He took a deep breath and got out of the car. He closed and locked the door, tapping the button on his electronic lock twice to make sure it was locked, and then turned to Bev.  
“You can change your mind at any point and still hang out with us. Well, I guess until you actually eat the brownie. Then you can’t really go back,” she said. He grinned and nodded, maybe a little forced but still mostly authentic. Bev had such a good nature about her. She always knew what to say.

“Besides, Richie will fall over himself to take care of you.”

Eddie felt his cheeks go red again and he looked away, ignoring how Beverly giggled. He only looked back when she was coming around the car, pausing to lightly tap his cheek.

Beverly knew everything, everyone just instinctively knew they could go to her. If Bill hadn’t been the first person he came out to, he was sure it would have been her.

“Have you thought of-“

“We are not talking about that,” Eddie quickly cut her off. She also always knew what to say to get under his skin, or to make him blush. She simply nodded, and didn’t press, and took his hand and lead the way into the apartment building.

Eddie followed along, feeling the nerves in his stomach grow as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. He had started to settle the idea of getting high, but then he was nervous about Richie. They were close, sometimes too close. There was something unspoken between them, and he was starting to worry that maybe he’ll speak and break whatever they have. He didn’t think he was ready for that conversation, the “what are we” conversation that could ruin everything. He didn’t want to lose huddling together under the same blanket at movie nights, he didn’t want to lose nights where he drove Richie home from campus after a rehearsal and instead of going home they’d get lost and drive around playing music. It was easy to imagine that everything would fall apart. More believable than to think Richie would want to pursue a serious relationship.

The man had never done anything seriously in his life. Even his roles in the shows were comedic relief.

Eddie was thankfully pulled away from his thoughts when they reached the apartment door. Beverly knocked while Eddie rang the doorbell.

“Jesus, we’re coming!” he heard Richie holler. After a few moments, he opened the door with a big grin. “Welcome home!” He hugged Bev and then Eddie.

“Yeah yeah, I’m here for Stan,” Beverly replied, walking into the apartment after hugging Richie.

“Oh yeah? I can get lusting over Stan,” Richie said, turning to watch Bev, arm slung around Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie slid his arm around Richie’s waist in return. Beverly glanced back at them and giggled. Eddie looked at Richie from the corner of his eye. It was another one of those unmentioned moments.

He decided to leave it unmentioned.

“Hey guys,” Stan said from his spot on the couch. He was playing some video game Eddie never got really into. Beverly walked over to the couch, being careful not to get in front of the tv screen, and sat down beside Stanley. He leaned his head down, pressing it against her own head for a moment. “How are you?” he asked, still playing.

“Exhaaaaausted,” Beverly replied. “Had my sewing lab today. But I’m almost done with the assignment, so at least there’s that.”

“And it’s the weekend, baby!” Richie practically howled, dragging Eddie into the apartment by the arm around his neck. Eddie squawked out of surprise as Richie kicked the door shut behind them.

Eddie pulled out of Richie’s hold then and walked over to the couch. He was less polite than Bev, choosing to walk right in front of the tv to get to the other side of the couch. Stan didn’t seem to mind, and soon he was turning off the game anyways.

“Sorry, middle of a match.”

“Are you playing fucking Fortnite?” Eddie asked as he sat down.

“Dude. It’s fun,” Stan replied. He set the controller down on the coffee table and then gave Eddie a quick hug. “Glad you guys hurried and got here. Richie’s been off the walls for the past two hours.”

“Actually it was just the one hour and a couple minutes,” Richie retorted. Stan smiled at him.

“Fine, fine. An hour and some change.”

“Why so excited?” Eddie asked, some snarky retort already forming in his mouth.

“Cause I love ya, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie replied casually, ruffling Eddie’s hair on his way to his armchair. It was some ugly recliner that seemed older than him, and Richie insisted on lugging it to every apartment he moved to. He flopped down, letting his limbs spread out.

Eddie blinked, but managed to stave off the blush. This wasn’t unusual for Richie. Maybe a little bold, bolder than normal... But they said things like this before.

Eddie cursed to himself, trying to get his mind from there. If he got high and let his mind go there, what might he say?

He was pulled from his thoughts by Beverly picking up her backpack. She pulled a makeup bag out. Eddie stared in silent confusion, until she pulled out a small mason jar. He definitely understood now. Richie slid off his armchair and went over to the television stand. He knelt down and opened the cabinet. He pulled out a tray and put it on the coffee table. 

“Bevvie dear,” he said, putting on a posh Voice. He nudged the tray towards her. “Might you be a doll and roll us a fat doobie? I must say, you do an oh so wonderful job at it, I simply cannot compete.”

Beverly snorted and took the tray. On it was a grinder and a package of papers. Eddie wasn’t an idiot, he knew the steps of smoking weed. He watched as Beverly’s thin fingers rolled a joint, quick, as if she’s done this often. She probably has, Eddie realized.

He felt Stan shift beside him, getting up and going to the kitchen.

“Richie said I’m on babysitting duty,” he said, looking towards Eddie.

“What? No, dude, I’ll be fine, you can smoke too,” Eddie quickly replied, shooting a glare at Richie. Stan smiled. 

“I’m messing with you. I don’t really smoke. Enjoy, I’m just going to grab a beer. Anyone want a drink?”

“Water, please,” Eddie replied. Bev agreed, and Richie opted for a beer as well. Stan walked off to the kitchen. 

“So, Eds,” Richie started.  
“Not my name,” Eddie interjected.

“So, Eds, are you excited for your first time? Done your research?” Richie asked. Eddie flushed a bit and nodded.

“It’s not like it’s an exotic thing, it’s just weed,” he replied. Richie nodded a little bit.  
“Perfect!”

“Speaking of,” Beverly said. She set down the joint and then pulled a baggie from her backpack. An average looking brownie sat inside. She handed it to Eddie. “Eat like, a little less than half. In an hour we can see if you can have more.”

“Yeah, okay, mom,” Eddie replied. Beverly gave him a look and then smiled.

“Don’t make fun of the expert, here,” she replied. Eddie nodded, jokingly giving a two finger salute, before opening the bag. He wrinkled his nose. It smelled like a brownie, but the smell of pot cut through it.

“Ugh.”  
“I know, right? Smells rank. Taste ain’t much better, so get chewing, Eddie boy!” Richie instructed, leaning forward to lightly tap the baggie. Eddie moved out of the way, taking it out of his reach. Richie grinned madly and instead grabbed for the joint that Beverly put on the tray. She also saw this coming, and snatched it up.

“I’m the guest,” she said, and pulled a lighter from her makeup bag. Richie relented, especially since Stan walked back in with two bottles of water and two bottles of beer. He handed a beer to Richie and then set the water bottles on the table in front of Eddie and Beverly. Richie found a bottle opener on one of the end tables, and popped open his drink and then Stan’s. He took a long swig.

“Oh, this that new shit?” he asked, looking at the bottle. Stan nodded, raising the bottle to his lips. He didn’t take nearly as large of a gulp. He set his bottle down.

“Beast Coast,” he answered.  
“Still on this IPA stuff?” Eddie asked. Stan looked back at him and nodded again.

“It’s fun,” he answered. Eddie smiled.  
“Good. Kinda like… Beer watching, instead of bird watching?”  
Stan snorted and nodded.  
“Sure, kinda.”

Eddie smiled and looked down at the baggie in his hands. He reached in and broke off a piece, the size Beverly suggested. He brought it up to his mouth and, after a moment, ate it whole. He quickly chewed and swallowed, wrinkling his nose. When he finished, he picked up his water and took a quick sip.  
“Aww, Eds, that was adorable. Your first taste of the Devil’s lettuce. You did it!” Richie leaned over, standing up and reaching over the coffee table to clap Eddie on the shoulder.

Eddie rolled his eyes and resealed the baggie. He put it on the table.

“See? Told you I’d be fine,” he said. Richie nodded a bit. He came over to the couch, stealing Stanley’s spot between Beverly and Eddie. He took the joint from Beverly while Stanley sat down in the arm chair.

Stan picked up his controller from the coffee table, and, per Eddie’s insistence, started up Minecraft. He handed Eddie the controller and got back up to go to the tv stand and get the other one. The two played while Richie and Bev smoked, watching and idly chatting about the upcoming show the theater club was putting on.

“We’re renting all the big costumes, so hopefully I won’t have to do too much,” Bev said. “I love making costumes for the shows, but I wish there were more, y’know… Costumers in the club. I can’t do all this alone.”

“Aw Bev, I think they think that you think that you’re good enough to do it on your own,” Richie replied. Beverly paused, as if following what he described, and then shrugged.

“I don’t want them to think that. I want them to think that I need help because, y’know, I’m only human,” she said. He slung his arm around her shoulders and nodded.

“I get that, Bevvie, I do. Isn’t Betty in your fashion lab? Ask her for help some day,” he said. Beverly frowned, but eventually nodded. “I know, sweetie pie, asking for help is hard. But sometimes we gotta do it, y’know? I had to ask Ben to help me the other day!”

“That’s different, it’s Ben,” Beverly retorted. Richie shrugged.  
“Maybe. But the point is, it’s hard to ask for help, but sometimes, we must!”

Eddie snorted a little bit, glancing over at Richie.

“Got something to say, Eds?”  
“Don’t call me that. And no, not really. You’re just baked,” he said.

Richie threw his arms up and then stood.

“That’s the point, my man!” he said. He scooted past Beverly to go to his room. Eddie could hear him fumbling around with something, and soon he returned with his laptop. He sat on the floor, setting the laptop on the coffee table, and started it up.

“What’s the show you’re doing again?” Stan asked.  
“Beauty and the Beast,” Beverly answered, while Richie pretended to make gagging noises, which set off the chain reaction of making Eddie laugh. Stan smiled a bit.

“Oh yeah! When’s auditions?” Eddie asked.  
“Tuesday night,” Richie replied. “I’m nervous as fuck.”  
“Why? You’re the best one in the club. They have to cast you as pretty much anything you want.”

Richie let out a whine in response, and Eddie rolled his eyes. Beverly nudged Richie with her foot, and he made quick work of grabbing her ankle with one hand while typing with the other. She squealed and tugged back, but only succeeded in falling off the couch. The four laughed, hard.

Eddie leaned into the sofa, smiling at his friends. He wished everyone could be here tonight. It’s always a good time no matter which of the Losers he’s with, but when they’re all together, it really feels magical. Plus Ben would like Minecraft. Maybe he already plays it. If not, he should. And Bill could probably help talk Richie down from his anxiety about auditions. Bill always knew what to say. And Mike and him could talk about their history class, because Eddie knew it would make Mike’s eyes sparkle. He was glad he had that class with Mike. He hated history, but being able to see Mike so happy was worth it.

He let out a soft little sigh.

“Eddie, you good?”

Eddie blinked. When did he close his eyes? He looked over at Stanley, who was smirking a little bit.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. He picked up his controller again, but saw that the tv was off. He frowned and looked back at Stan, who simply pointed to Richie. Eddie looked over.

He and Beverly were halfway across the living room at this point, Bev having started a wrestling match in retaliation for Richie causing her to fall off the couch. Beverly pinned Richie down by the shoulders.

“Bev, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, but I’m gay! A homo!” Richie yelped. Beverly laughed, and Richie used this opportunity to squirm away. He crawled back over to his laptop, and pointed up at Stan and Eddie.

“Music time!” he declared, and slapped his finger down on the space bar on his keyboard. Music started to play, and he was up, padding around in his socked feet, dodging as Beverly made to grab his ankles.

“They’re idiots,” Eddie said simply, looking back at Stanley. He nodded, picking up his beer and taking a sip.  
“Our idiots.”

Suddenly, Eddie felt his hands get grabbed and he was dragged to his feet with a cry. Richie was grinning and tugging him from the couch.

“C’mon, Eds, I know you don’t just wanna sit and watch,” he said. He swung Eddie, who had to quickly remember how his muscles worked.

“I don’t even know this song, or this band, or- What even is this?”  
“Ska, baby!”  
“He’s on a new ska kick,” Stan explained.

Eddie blinked, looking over at Richie, who was just grinning. Eddie relented and let Richie tug him away from the couch and coffee table. Richie let go and started to dance, mainly just moving his limbs and whipping his head around. Eddie laughed and started to imitate Richie, but then just let himself move his body however he wanted to. Beverly gave up her efforts to knock Richie over and went to the couch. She and Stan talked, and eventually they got up to play darts.

After the song finished, Eddie let his arms fall to his sides. He walked to the coffee table and grabbed his bottle of water, practically chugging it when he raised it to his lips. Richie laughed.

“Feeling good?” he asked. Eddie nodded and lowered the bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Since you two calmed down some,” Stan said, throwing one of the darts. He cursed softly, then glanced at Richie and Eddie. “Bill, Ben, and Mike are coming over.”

Eddie grinned, and turned to look at Richie.

“Just like I wanted!” he said.  
“What? Am I not enough for you?”  
“No, idiot, I was saying I wanted them to come over. It’s better with everyone here.”  
“You literally never said that but I am holding you to that, next time you say you can’t stand me.”

Eddie blinked, trying to think back to if he did say that he wanted everyone over or not, but he was pulled from his thoughts by Richie sliding an arm around his neck. It was gentle, like he spent all his extra energy by dancing. The two simply stood there, watching Stan and Bev play darts.

Eddie felt his heart skip a beat suddenly, and he glanced at Richie’s arm. It felt so natural, and correct. This is what they were supposed to be like, he was sure of it. So he leaned his head in, resting against Richie’s shoulder for a moment. He felt Richie freeze for a moment, and just as he was starting to relax, there was a knock on the door.

“I got it!” Richie said, leaving Eddie. He walked to the door. “What’s the password?”  
“Wuh-we got beer,” was Bill’s answer. Richie groaned and opened the door.  
“C’mon, the password has to be something funny, you could have said something like… Uh… ‘Pussy’ or something.”  
“I am n-not yelling puh-puh…” Bill screwed up his face in annoyance and pushed past Richie.  
“That’s why it's funny!”

Bill’s expression relaxed and he turned to lightly pat Richie’s shoulder. Next in was Mike, who looked like he was trying very hard not to give in and laugh at Richie. The two hugged, and then Richie turned to hug Ben. Soon everyone was in the apartment, and Richie closed and locked the door.

Bill walked into the kitchen, followed by Stanley, the two already talking about the kind of beer Bill brought. Ben greeted Eddie with a hug before going to talk to Beverly. Mike and Eddie hugged before Mike followed Stan and Bill into the kitchen. Richie grinned.

“Everything you wanted, Eddie Spaghetti?” he asked.  
“Why did you react that way?” Eddie blurted out. The two stared at each other, both surprised.  
“What way?” Richie asked.

Eddie frowned and looked away. Ben and Beverly were distracted, but the living room was small. He felt so many emotions welling up in him. He looked back at Richie and shook his head. He then sat down on the couch.

Richie frowned and followed, sitting beside him.

“You doing okay? You didn’t eat too much, did you?” he asked, and Eddie felt like his stomach did a backflip. Richie cared about him, he knew this, he wasn’t sure why he had been second guessing this earlier. He shook his head.

“No! No, sorry, I’m fine, I feel great! I got a little anxious for a moment is all.”  
“Do you want to talk about it?”

The two sat there, staring at each other, and Eddie smiled a bit.

“We’re always close, and I like it a lot,” he said. Richie grinned and leaned forward, pulling Eddie into the tightest hug imaginable.

“Please, did someone record that! Eds was complimenting me! He likes me and he likes when I hang on him and he likes his nicknames!”  
“I did not say any of that!” Eddie squacked, squirming in Richie’s grasp.

He heard Mike laugh, and soon everyone was laughing. Eddie grinned, despite currently being squished against the arm of the couch and Richie. He went full corpse, going completely limp, until Richie got bored. Eddie curled up on his spot on the sofa, making room for everyone else to sit. Instead of moving to his armchair, Richie sat next to Eddie, smiling happily.

Eventually, everyone settled in. The couch was too small for everyone, so Ben and Beverly squished into the armchair, and Bill sat in front of the couch on top of a throw pillow, legs tucked under the coffee table. Mike sat next to Richie, and Stan sat next to Mike. It was all so perfectly natural. There was a small debate about what movie to watch, which Eddie listened to. The voices sounded almost like they were traveling through water, and Eddie felt a little bit like he was floating.

“What do you think?” he heard, vaguely, and he was going to ignore it until he felt a jab in his side. He shrieked, much louder than intended, and turned to look. Of course it was Richie, who held up his hands.

“Geez, Stoney Baloney,” he laughed. “You good, want to help choose a movie?”  
“A comedy,” Eddie suggested. Richie rolled his eyes but nodded, smile still on his face.

Eddie rubbed his side, sniffing offendedly, before turning to look at the tv. Whoever was controlling the remote put on Bridesmaids. Eddie snorted a bit. He had seen it before, but it was funny. Then he heard Richie say something about it being a “chick flick” so he reached over and jabbed his side.

“Eds! Retaliation!” Richie laughed, swatting Eddie’s hand away. Eddie curled back up, trying to glare at Richie but mostly succeeding in looking exhausted. Richie laughed, louder, until Mike gently shushed him.

The group watched the movie, and Eddie felt relaxed. There were some good laughs, and it felt good to just laugh out loud with them all. About half way through, his stomach started to rumble.

He poked Richie, gentle this time, in the shoulder. Richie looked over, offering his usual grin.

“I’m hungry,” Eddie whispered.  
“Let’s get some snacks,” Richie said. He stood up, and quickly squeezed past everyone to go to the kitchen. Eddie followed, not nearly as gracefully. He almost fell on top of Bill, and after a few hushed apologies he hurried after Richie.

Richie turned to look at Eddie and laughed quietly.

“You look scared to death,” he teased.  
“Do not.”  
“How would you know? You can’t see what you look like right now.”

Eddie blinked.

“That’s so weird. We’re never able to look at our own faces. We can only see our faces with assistance. Isn’t that weird?”  
“Sure, Eds.”

Richie reached up to one of the cabinets, and Eddie felt a surge of jealousy that he didn’t even have to stand on the tips of his toes. He looked around and pulled out a bag of cheese puffs and a bag of potato chips. He walked to the fridge and grabbed another beer, debating between Stan’s and the ones Bill brought before eventually taking one of Bill’s.

“This is payback since he wouldn’t yell pussy,” Richie stated, and Eddie simply nodded. “Anything else you want?”

Eddie thought for a moment, then leaned past Richie to open the freezer. He pulled out an ice cream sandwich.

“Great idea,” Richie said, and grabbed one as well. He nudged the freezer and fridge doors closed, and looked at Eddie.

The two were close, and they looked at each other for a bit longer than normal. Richie nibbled his lip, and Eddie was suddenly overcome with the thought of being the one to bite Richie’s lower lip, to kiss it better afterwards. He wondered what Richie would sound like.

He felt his face heat up and he pressed the ice cream sandwich to his cheek.

“Warm?” Richie asked.  
“Mhm.”  
“I’ll turn the heat down. Why don’t you go bring these snacks out?”

Eddie nodded and scooped up the bags of snacks. He gave Richie one last look, trying to decipher what the other boy was thinking about, before walking back into the living room.

Eddie had already settled back on the couch, snacks deposited on the coffee table, before Richie walked out of the kitchen. He went to the thermostat near his bedroom door and lowered the heat. He then walked into his bedroom. A few moments later he came back with a few throw blankets.

“Not a movie night without blankets,” he said, voice soft, and passed them out to those who wanted them. He went back to his spot next to Eddie, and pulled the blanket around himself.

Eddie frowned, and started to eat his ice cream sandwich. It was cold, of course, and his brain focused on that, following as the cold started in the pit of his stomach and spread out. By the time he finished eating, he started to shiver a bit.

He tugged at Richie’s blanket.  
“Dude, you were the one who was warm,” Richie whispered.  
“Now I’m not,” Eddie answered. Richie rolled his eyes and moved to pull some of the blanket around Eddie. He let his arm ghost on the back of Eddie’s neck for a moment, and Eddie moved in, snuggling into the warmth of Richie’s side.

It wasn’t unusual. They’ve cuddled under blankets at movie nights before. But for some reason this time felt different. Maybe it was the way Richie looked at him in the kitchen, like he was hesitating, biting his lip in the way he did when he was unsure. Maybe it was the way Eddie was starting to feel sure of himself. Maybe it was Eddie finally realizing how obvious Richie’s care for him was.

He smiled to himself.

Soon enough, the movie was over, and everyone started getting ready to leave. Richie gently pried himself from Eddie, leaving the blanket around him, to go say his goodbyes. Eddie frowned and looked up at Beverly, not ready to leave just yet.

Beverly looked down at him and smiled.

“I’m going to hitch a ride with Bill to Ben’s place,” she said. “I don’t think you should drive right now, anyways.”  
“I’m a perfect driver,” Eddie retorted.  
“You got a ticket last week,” Ben said, causing Beverly to laugh. Eddie grumbled, pulling the blanket up to his face.

“Aww, come on, you’re normally great,” Beverly reassured him, leaning down to give him a hug. He allowed it, and soon raised his arms to hug her back.

She helped him stand and he moved to hug Ben.

“Sorry for dropping the ticket news,” Ben said, and Eddie laughed.  
“It’s fine, it was just for speeding,” he said. Beverly rolled her eyes, but smiled at the two.

Eddie walked over to Mike and hugged him now.  
“If I don’t see you this weekend, see you on Monday!” Mike said, hugging Eddie tight.  
“Mhmmm,” Eddie mumbled against his shoulder. He closed his eyes for a moment before finally pulling away.  
“Sorry. Sleepy,” he said.

Mike snorted and patted Eddie’s shoulder.

“Don’t stay up too late!” he said. Eddie nodded.

After saying goodbye to Mike, Eddie went over to Bill, leaning into his side. Bill, who was in the middle of talking to Richie, wrapped an arm around Eddie as he chatted. Eddie listened, vaguely, but still didn’t understand what was being discussed. He stood like that against Bill until finally everyone was leaving.

The apartment was quieter with four less people in it. Stanley looked at Eddie and Richie, before lightly nodding.

“I’m going to bed. Thanks for a fun night guys,” he said. Richie hugged him, causing Stan to laugh softly. “Rich, I will literally see you tomorrow.”

“That doesn’t mean I won’t miss you!” Richie whined. Stan eventually writhed out of Richie’s grip and hugged Eddie.  
“Feel free to stay over if you want. Be safe,” he said, and Eddie nodded.  
“Of course. Night, Stan.”

Stanley brought the empty bottles to the kitchen, and then went off to bed. With everyone else gone, Richie and Eddie were alone. Eddie looked up at Richie.

He was making that face again. His lower lip was between his teeth, and he was glancing around, avoiding looking directly at Eddie.

“So…” Eddie said, unsure of what else to do to break this awkward silence. Richie jumped, as if he had forgotten Eddie was even there.

And then he grinned, and Eddie couldn’t help but smile.

“Let’s watch another movie?” he suggested. Richie nodded.

With everyone else gone, they could spread out on the couch or Richie could go back to his armchair, but they both sat in the middle of the sofa. They both crawled under the same blanket, the one they had been using earlier. Eddie swung his legs onto Richie’s lap and curled into his side. Richie wrapped an arm around Eddie and used his other hand to scroll through the movies.

“That one!” Eddie said, quickly.  
“You want to watch Clueless? Now that’s a total chick flick,” Richie replied, but he was clicking play anyways.  
“Shut up about chick flicks. They’re just good movies centering women.”  
“Hells yeah, Eds!”

Richie squeezed Eddie and tugged him closer. Eddie squirmed, not enough to pull away completely but just enough to get Richie to loosen his grip.

“I’m just joking, but you’re right. Nothing wrong with movies about women.”  
“Damn right.”

The two sat and watched the movie. It was comfortable, mostly quiet.

And then Paul Rudd showed up.

“Ugh! I forgot about this, I hate this!” Eddie whined.  
“Hate what!?” Richie asked, looking at him.

Eddie sat up, gesturing to the screen.

“They’re siblings!”  
“Step siblings. Not blood related.  
“But… Still, it’s gross.”  
“They aren’t even step siblings anymore.”  
“Y’know what, you’re gross too.”

Richie held his hands up to his heart.

“You wound me!”  
“Oh shut up, it’s not that bad,” Eddie replied, rolling his eyes.

Richie let his head loll back, and hung his tongue out. Eddie tapped Richie’s shoulder, but didn’t get a response. Eddie poked Richie’s cheek, tugged Richie’s earlobe, and flicked his neck. When none of these actions earned a response, he reached down to tickle Richie’s side.

“Ugh! No that’s playing dirty!” Richie squealed, trying to pull away from Eddie. He squirmed, pushing at the legs on his lap pinning him down. Eddie relented, looking towards Stanley’s bedroom door.

“Shut up, Stanley is sleeping,” Eddie said. Richie pouted and snuggled back up to Eddie.  
“No fair. You played dirty.”  
“All’s fair in love and war.”

The two settled down and went back to watching the movie. They both curled up together again. It was comfortable, warm. Eddie felt like his body was tired, but his mind was going. He wanted to curl up and fall asleep like this, but he was busy thinking. This was normal for them, but the way Richie looked earlier was confusing him. It looked like how Eddie felt. It looked like he wanted to make a move, just like Eddie did.

Eddie looked up at Richie. He was focused on the movie, the light from the tv shining on his glasses. He laughed at something on screen, and looked down at Eddie. His smile faltered a bit when he noticed that the other boy was already looking at him.

“Good choice, Eds. This movie is-”  
“Don’t call me that,” Eddie interrupted, before quickly leaning forward. He pressed their lips together.

Richie froze for a moment before leaning into it. He tightened his hold on Eddie, and kissed back.

After a few moments, he broke apart, eyes wide. Eddie grinned, unable to help it. He kissed Richie, he made Richie look so shocked, he made Richie go speechless. It was a success.

“We shouldn’t do this now,” Richie said softly. “Let’s talk in the morning, okay? I know being high makes kissing feel, like, so fucking good, but…”  
“I get it,” Eddie said quickly. “Sorry, sorry… I just…”

“Shhhh!” Richie held a finger to Eddie’s mouth. “Shh. It’s okay. I like it. I-I like you. But I want to experience this sober.”

Eddie nodded. When Richie didn’t pull his hand back, he licked Richie’s finger in retort.

“Jesus! You’re a freak!” Richie yelped, wiping his hand on his shirt. “God, you get one kiss and you go all wild on me.”  
“You didn’t pull your hand away! I had to get you to get away somehow!”  
“Fine, fine. C’mon, the movie’s almost over.”

When the movie finished, Eddie felt exhausted. Richie pulled away from Eddie’s grip and started to clean up from the mini party. Eddie stayed on the couch, watching as Richie put away the snacks and folded up the blankets.

“You up?”  
“Huh?”

Eddie opened his eyes, looking up at Richie. He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. Richie grinned.  
“You fell asleep.”  
“Sorry.”  
“Don’t be! It’s late. Wanna go to sleep?”

Eddie nodded and stood up. He kept the blanket wrapped around himself. Richie lead the way to his room. This was normal, they usually shared Richie’s bed when he slept over. It felt nice. He didn’t ruin everything. He curled up on Richie’s bed as Richie puttered around, getting ready for bed.

“Not gonna wash up or anything?” Richie asked. Eddie shook his head.  
“I’ll brush my teeth twice tomorrow morning to make up for it,” he said. Richie laughed and flopped onto the bed. He pulled the blankets around both of them and pressed close to Eddie.

“C’mon bro, hold me,” Richie whined.  
“Do not bro me right now,” Eddie replied, but he slid his arm around Richie anyways. It was just like normal, except maybe not. Maybe it was better than normal.

X

Eddie woke up to the bed shifting. He opened one eye, watching as Richie sat up and stretched. Richie turned to look at him, and grinned when he saw Eddie was awake. Eddie quickly closed his eye again and turned his face into the pillow.

“Aww, Eds! Look at me!” Richie whined, poking Eddie’s cheek. When Eddie didn’t respond, Richie pinched his cheek.

“Ugh! Stop!” Eddie swatted at Richie’s hand and looked up at him. He frowned. At least Richie didn’t seem mad. He seemed happy.

“What if I’m trying to kiss you?”

Eddie’s eyes shot open and he looked up at Richie, who was of course sporting a shit-eating grin. He laid back down, face level with Eddie’s. Eddie flushed, sighing softly.

“You said you’d want to talk about it today?” Eddie asked.  
“Are you up for it? We can… We can pretend it didn’t happen if you want.”

Eddie watched as Richie’s face seemed to fall, as he started to bite his lip again. He shook his head quickly, reaching up to touch Richie’s cheek.

“I like you. I have for a while, and I didn’t want to say anything because I was scared you’d finally make me stop hanging on you,” Richie said, looking away from Eddie. “I was worried you only like, kissed me because of the moment.”  
“I get it,” Eddie said. “It makes sense. But I think it was more like… I dunno. I got courage? Because I like you too, Richie.”

Richie looked back at Eddie, and the way his face lit up was almost blinding.

“Aww, Eds, you like me? Aww, you have a crush on me?”  
“You’re literally going to make me regret it.”  
“Nope! You’re stuck with me now!”

Richie tugged Eddie close, and leaned down to kiss him. Eddie quickly put his hand up, pressing against Richie’s mouth.

“Nope. We brush our teeth first.”

Richie made a noise against Eddie’s hand. Eddie felt Richie’s mouth open, and felt something wet on his fingers.

“Dude!” Eddie yelled, pulling his hand back. Richie cackled, rolling onto his back.  
“Retaliation! Retribution! Uh… Payback!”

Eddie wiped his hand on his shirt and sighed.

“I can’t believe this. I literally have the worst taste ever.”  
“Yup!”

Eddie sat up, looking down at Richie.

“Nope. Only I’m allowed to say that. You can’t. I somehow think you’re too good to think poorly of yourself.”

Richie rolled his eyes, but the way he was grinning and the way a small blush was forming on his cheeks gave him away. Eddie smiled back, and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Richie’s forehead.

The two got up and went to the bathroom. Eddie reached into the cupboard and found the toothbrush he left here for whenever he stayed over. He stared at it for a moment, before looking up at Richie.

“Why did this take us so long? God, we’re idiots,” he said.

“You got that right,” Stanley yelled from the living room.  
“Hey! Hey Stanny! I got a cute boyfriend now!” Richie yelled back.

Eddie groaned, but when Richie looked back at him, he couldn’t help but smile. It felt normal, in the sense that it felt like how it was supposed to be. But for the most part, it felt better than normal.

The two brushed their teeth, and after wiping their mouths, Eddie leaned up to kiss Richie. They stayed like that for a bit, kissing and holding onto each other in the bathroom.

Their new normal felt great.

**Author's Note:**

> reach out to me on twitter @indykeah if you want! i havent written like this in a while but it was very cathartic


End file.
